Smokers’ Double Risk Of Dementia

Smokers are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia as nonsmokers, doctors have warned. More than 700,000 Brits have dementia – of whom two thirds have Alzheimer’s. But by 2025, that number is set to rise to more than a million.

Researchers from the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands followed nearly 7000 people over 55 for seven years. Over that time, 706 of them developed the brain disease dementia. Their risk was twice as high as ex-smokers too.

Lead researcher Dr Monique Breteler said the link was due to the effect cigarettes had on blood vessels in the brain. She said: “Smoking increases the risk of cerebrovascular disease, which is also tied to dementia.

“Another mechanism could be oxidative stress, which can damage cells in the blood vessels and lead to hardening of the arteries. Smokers experience greater oxidative stress than non-smokers, and increased oxidative stress is also seen in Alzheimer’s disease.”

In people who have gene APOE4 – which raises the risk of developing Alzheimer’s – smoking made no difference. The latest study is published in the journal Neurology. It follows research which found drugs for cholesterol can also cut the risk of Alzheimer’s – by up to 79 per cent.

At present, the condition costs the UK more than £17billion a year. There is no cure. Meanwhile, thousands of mums-to-be who smoke and drink are doing so to relieve the stress of being pregnant, according to a survey.

A poll by baby charity Tommy’s found one in 20 was turning to fags and one in 25 to booze in order to cope. Nine out of 10 women said they felt stressed by pregnancy. Tommy’s chief executive Jane Brewin said the results were “shocking”.

Smoking carries a 26 per cent greater risk of miscarriage or stillbirth, and drinking leads to foetal alcohol syndrome.